When Life Turned Purple (13 page)

The cries grew louder and more ragged. It was a man’s voice.

Her eyes fixed on the doorway to the building, Lia moved right up against Russ, but she didn’t clutch at him.

Russ decided to close the door without locking it. Hopefully, thieves would assume it was locked. Hopefully, he’d have a chance to lock it and maybe even lock the wheel later. Tensed for anything, Russ plodded toward the building, one arm held out in front of Lia, the other holding his gun close to his chest, its nozzle hidden under his coat. He didn’t know what the other guy had, and Russ didn’t want the other guy to think Russ was coming to kill him.

At the entrance, Russ and Lia stood to the side while Russ leaned forward to peer through the window.

He could see Jack standing in front of their door, slapping the banister of the stairwell with one hand, his other hand clutching his forehead.

“It’s Jack,” he whispered. “At our door.”

Lia’s eyes were round, but she didn’t say anything, except to give Russ a nod.

Russ blew out his breath in a huff as he chewed over what to do. Sitting in the car was no good, driving around was no good, and standing outside for sure was no good. But how to get past Jack? And what did Jack want? What was he doing there?

From where they were standing, Russ could hear Jack a lot better.

“I know you got stuff, man!” he wailed. “I smelled those eggs!”

Russ clenched his teeth. That’s all he needed now, was for all they neighbors to know that he and Lia were stocked.

“You just don’t want to shaaaare!” Jack continued. “I don’t exist for anybody, nobody really caaaares! I came and I asked nicely, and you don’t even wanna give me a chance! Not even a freakin’ egg!”

As far as Russ could tell, Jack wasn’t waving a weapon around; he was just waving his emotions around.

With his left hand, Russ slid the gun all the way under his coat, just as if he was reaching for a key in his front pocket. He glanced at Lia, who held up her key. Despite the pressing tension, Russ felt a rush of love at how in-sync Lia was with him throughout this whole crazy rush.

Placing his right hand on the door handle, Russ turned it. Opening the door hard enough to make noise, but not hard enough to sound threatening, he kept Lia behind him. Russ didn’t like holding his gun in his left hand, but there was no other way to open the door. Anyway, he figured he could get his right hand on the gun fast enough, if necessary.

Rubbing his hand through his hair, Jack turned a tear-stained face to look down.

Now Russ was glad the gun was in his left hand. He didn’t want to have to use it, and it would be easier to subdue Jack using his right hand and his hiking boots.

Feeling Lia close, but not too close behind him, Russ slipped into the building and started plodding up the stairs, his eyes never leaving Jack.

Jack stared at him, still rubbing his hair and sniffling. In the quiet, Russ heard doors open on the upper floors. Not all the neighbors had left.

“Hey, man,” Jack finally said in a voice ragged with tears. “You really
weren’t
home, eh?” He sniffled some more. “I thought you were just ignoring me.”

“It’s okay, Jack,” said Russ in a steady voice. “Everything’s gonna be okay.”

As Russ approached, Jack said, “Whatcha got there?” And he waved his hand at the lump Russ’s gun hand made under his coat.

“An itch,” said Russ in the same steady voice. And he rubbed his hand under his coat as if scratching.

“Huh,” said Jack. He stared at them as they stepped into the hallway in front of their door. Russ kept his body facing Jack while Lia unlocked the door behind him. She didn’t do it as fast as she usually did, but she didn’t fumble, either.

When Russ heard the final lock click, he reached his hand behind him to place it on Lia. She understood and didn’t push the door open.

“Have a good night, Jack,” said Russ.

“No,” said Jack. “I can’t. You have food and I also want some.”

“There’s an all-night store down the block, Jack—”

“NO!” Rage flashed across Jack’s face and his eyes bulged. “I want it from
you
, Russ! I want
you
to show me that you really care! That I mean something to somebody!”

“I don’t have any food, Jack,” said Russ in the same steady voice.

“You do!” said Jack. “I smelled eggs—”

“No, you didn’t, Jack.” Russ clapped his free hand on Jack’s shoulder and held it there. Jack looked from Russ’s hand to Russ’s face, his mouth forming a little “o.” He frowned.

“Uhhhhh....”

“You were imagining things,” Russ continued. “You’ve been stressed out lately, and it’s getting to your mind.”

He really wanted to send Jack sprawling down the stairs. But he figured it was wiser to calm Jack and make him and anyone else listening think that Russ and Lia weren’t any better prepared than the rest of them. “We never had any eggs. We were down to our last vittles just like everyone else. Being hungry and desperate make you imagine things. And that’s what happened.” Russ paused. “And that’s all.”

Jack blinked and looked around helplessly. Then he said, “Well, can I come knocking if I need anything? I mean, just in case?”

NO
, Russ wanted to say. And he wanted to hold his gun to Jack’s head and threaten him if he even tried. But Russ knew it wouldn’t be good for things to hit that level of intensity right now. He needed to calm Jack in order to deflect him. Suddenly, Russ thought of what to say. “We don’t have anything to give you.”

“Even just to hang out?” said Jack. “Just to be together?”

“No, Jack.” Russ leaned closer, his eyes boring into Jack’s. “We have
nothing
to give you. We are just as lost and helpless as you are.”

Jack blinked again. “Really?”

“Sure, Jack…can’t you see? Me and Lia are just as depressed and lost as you are.”

“Oh. Oh, gosh, Russ. I had no idea....”

Russ gave Jack a tight-lipped smile and loosened his hand enough to give Jack a pat on the same shoulder Russ had been gripping.

Suddenly, Jack lunged forward and threw his arms around Russ, whose eyes widened as he instinctively pushed at Jack’s shoulder. Russ’s gun whipped out and he held it up in the air, but Jack didn’t notice because his face was buried in Russ’s chest. Behind him, Russ felt Lia stiffen.

“Oh, Russ, I never knew!” Jack sobbed into Russ’s chest. “You, too? I never knew! You always look so cool ’bout everything, man!”

Russ’s fingers dug into Jack’s shoulder, but it took a moment before Jack noticed. Now Russ hid his gun by sticking it down against the back of his neck into his coat.

Then Jack looked up at Russ with wide, wet eyes. “You’re hurting me, man.” He tried to wiggle his shoulder out from under Russ’s grip.

“Oops,” said Russ. And he let go, giving Jack a little push as he did.

Jack took a step back from Russ, rubbing his shoulder and staring at Russ.

“We have absolutely nothing that can help you,” said Russ again.

“Not even support?”

“No, Jack. We’re just like you. We—we just want to sit around depressed, staring, uh—listlessly at the TV and, uh, wallowing in our misery.”

Jack stared at Russ another moment, then nodded and said, “Yeah, man. I got you. I understand.” Then Jack turned and went shuffling up the stairs toward his own apartment. As he went, Russ kept his eyes on Jack’s back and leaned against Lia, who pushed the door open and they slipped over the threshold.

They locked up and Russ tossed his gun on the coffee table.

Then they stood staring at each other until Lia arched one eyebrow and said, “Vittles?”

“Yeah,” said Russ. “I know. Where the hell did that come from?”

Then they collapsed with the shaky laughter that comes after stress that really wasn’t funny, their hands pressed over their mouths so they wouldn’t make too much noise.

But when they sobered up, Lia said, “I don’t know that I could’ve handled things like that. You were amazing. You knew exactly what to do at every step.”

Russ shook his head. “No way. I had no idea what I was doing. I was just adjusting myself to everything as it came.”

“Maybe that’s what you’re supposed to do,” said Lia.

Russ shrugged. “There’s not much choice.” Then he smiled at her. “You were pretty good yourself.”

Lia blushed at his praise and murmured, “I felt pretty helpless. Like a pawn.”

“Me, too.”

Her eyes widened. “You? But you seemed so in control the entire time!”

Russ spread his palms apart. “Jack was also impressed by my cool demeanor.”

Lia laughed.

“But I feel like all I was doing was just being alert and cautious the whole time. Like a rabbit under pursuit. I didn’t really
do
anything.”

“You handled Jack pretty skillfully.”

Russ shrugged again. “Just playing it by ear, you know. Just instincts. I mean, if I’d really had my wits about me, do you think I would’ve said ‘vittles’?”

Lia grinned and said, “Or ‘staring listlessly’.”

Now Russ grinned.

Then Lia looked pensive and said, “It was God putting the right words into your mouth, putting the right thoughts into your head.”

Russ frowned. “I don’t know about that. I wasn’t aware of anyone else around—except you.”

“Yep,” said Lia, nodding. “That usually how it works.”

Russ sighed. “Well, let’s call Evan and Edison, and let them know we’re okay.”

After that, Lia wanted to see the news.

“I thought you said it was all lies,” said Russ.

“Yeah,” said Lia. “But I still want to know what everybody else is thinking. That’s the only way to have any idea of how people are going to respond.”

Russ raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips as if to whistle. “Nice,” he said.

They sat down together on the sofa and turned on the TV.

“—having a greater effect on us than a full moon,” joked the blonde newscaster.

“That right,” said the chuckling male newscaster next to her. They both looked smooth and coiffed. Then he looked conspiratorially into the camera. “Better curb those wild tendencies. We don’t want things getting out of hand!”

They chuckled again, but harder this time.

The camera panned to the blonde newscaster, who said, “Astronomers say that we still have nothing to fear from these fascinating anomalies, but no one can deny the effect they’re having on us. What’s that all about?”

“Well,” said the co-host, “top astrophysicists are saying that it’s not really that these beautiful anomalies
themselves
are affecting us, but that
our
response to them is affecting us.”

“Huh?” said Russ.

“You mean that we’re projecting
our
fears and anxieties onto these things?” the female newscaster said.

“You got it,” he said. “Especially when a couple more showed up, that really stressed out some folks.” The camera switched to a close-up of him as he spoke with concern and reassurance. “People, there is
nothing
to fear from this sky troupe.”

“Ooh, that’s a nice way to think of them,” she said from off to the side.

“Just enjoy the view—”

“And the lovely cast to the moonlight!” she chirped.

“Yeah!” he agreed. “So just enjoy the view—and stop reading crazy conspiracy theories!” He looked concerned again. “What experts
are
advising is that you make a visit to your doctor and get yourself on some kind of medication until you learn to relax around these things.”

“Is that why he doesn’t seem affected by them?” asked Russ.

“Anti-anxiety medication, anti-depressants, sedatives,” the male newscaster continued, “whatever
you
need to help yourself get adjusted to this perfectly natural—
rare
, but most definitely natural—space phenomenon. Work it out with your doctor until you can learn to appreciate this truly beautiful phenomenon instead of fearing it.”

The shot widened to include both newscasters again.

“But until you can get to your doctor,” said the female newscaster, “go treat yourself to a soothing cup of chamomile tea!”

“Great idea,” her partner chimed. “A long, warm bath could also do the trick.”

“Mm…with a few drops of lavender oil added to the water—great idea.”

“Gosh,” said Lia. She looked at Russ. “They’re going to have the whole world on meds.”

“What’s that going to mean?” said Russ.

“A sedated world?” said Lia. “I’m not sure. The thing is that people respond unpredictably to these things. A drug that calms one person hypes up another. Sometimes anti-depressants have actually caused suicide.”

“And what if people won’t take meds?”

Lia frowned. “Well,
we’re
not.” She mulled it over. “I guess it would depend on how you handle the emotions, the memories....” She paused again, cocking her head to one side. “I’d guess that drug use of every kind will go up now.”